TumblingTurquoise's recent activity
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Comment on Microsoft’s Xbox to cut 3,200 jobs, divest five studios in major overhaul (gifted link) in ~games
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Comment on Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles in ~games
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentI don’t have much to add, except that I cancelled my PS Plus subscription in response to this. I hope enough people that are bothered by this also did the same.I don’t have much to add, except that I cancelled my PS Plus subscription in response to this. I hope enough people that are bothered by this also did the same.
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Comment on What are the new EU border checks and how will they affect your summer holiday? in ~travel
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentAirport security is security theatre, and a source of income for some businesses. Nothing more, nothing less. Have a look at this list & see that it doesn’t really do anything. But when it comes...Airport security is security theatre, and a source of income for some businesses. Nothing more, nothing less. Have a look at this list & see that it doesn’t really do anything.
But when it comes to this entry & exit system, it has less to do with hijackings & more with tracking immigrants who may not leave the EU once entered.
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Comment on Google must pay record €4.1 billion fine, top EU court rules in ~tech
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentFines are one component of the EU’s revenue. It is spent on agriculture & development for EU member states; which means funding, grants and subsidies for infrastructure, energy, culture, etc.;...Fines are one component of the EU’s revenue. It is spent on agriculture & development for EU member states; which means funding, grants and subsidies for infrastructure, energy, culture, etc.; there’s a really wide range of projects funded by EU grants.
According to the Wiki page, 94% is invested into EU member states. Which is a fact I was not aware of before!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentTorchlight 2 is another good one, but I haven’t played it as much as Titan Quest & Grim Dawn, so I’m not sure if it’s as deep as the latter two. Surprisingly, I have also enjoyed Diablo IV, even...Torchlight 2 is another good one, but I haven’t played it as much as Titan Quest & Grim Dawn, so I’m not sure if it’s as deep as the latter two.
Surprisingly, I have also enjoyed Diablo IV, even though the late game is really oriented towards grinding for materials, and less towards grinding for items. I’m not a big fan of this approach, so I usually don’t stick to the game for long. I drop in once in a while, level a class to the max, then drop off until some interesting new content is added. But you can’t go wrong with Diablo II, which has recently been remade.
A less known one is The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, but I can only vouch for the first one. It’s worth a playthrough, if you buy it on a discount.
Hellgate: London is another one I thoroughly enjoyed back in its time, though it is a bit rough around the edges.
While not an isometric ARPG, I think that the Borderlands series qualifies for the genre. It’s more loot based than other games (in a good way - there’s some wacky weapons to be found in these games). Out of them all, I probably enjoyed 1 & 2 the most. But 1 is a bit dated by this point, so you should probably stick with 2.
V Rising also scratches the isometric spell-based combat itch, but not so much the grinding for loot one. I can describe it as Valheim with a Diablo-lite coat of paint. It is a game you play through once then you’re done with it - no endgame grinding or activities. It also has enjoyable building mechanics.
And I think that’s about it when it comes to ARPG recommendations I can make. There’s some good free-to-play ARPGs that I could mention, but I don’t like this monetisation model so I can’t recommend them. I prefer paying for my game & having all gameplay mechanics unlocked.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentI want to mention that the game is made by the same people who made Titan Quest - one of my all time favourite ARPGs. They preserved all of the main mechanics from Titan Quest (skill system,...I want to mention that the game is made by the same people who made Titan Quest - one of my all time favourite ARPGs. They preserved all of the main mechanics from Titan Quest (skill system, inventory, levelling up, dual mastery builds, many hidden areas in levels), and added in a whole lot of new ones & content.
Whoever enjoyed Titan Quest will definitely get a kick out of Grim Dawn!
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Comment on Do you cook with cast iron? Is it the hassle everyone says it is? in ~food
TumblingTurquoise LinkI seasoned mine in the beginning, but after scrubbing it with soap the seasoning got ruined. So now I just sometimes coat it with some oil, and otherwise I keep cooking fatty foods in it. To...I seasoned mine in the beginning, but after scrubbing it with soap the seasoning got ruined. So now I just sometimes coat it with some oil, and otherwise I keep cooking fatty foods in it. To clean, I scrub it with metal (spatula or sponge), no soap. If it gets particularly bad, then I will boil some water in it & scrape with a spatula at the same time. The most important thing is to never let it stay wet - I always heat the pan until all water has evaporated.
Besides that, it gets better with time & cooking. The thing I appreciate the most about isn’t necessarily the nonstick coating (though that’s definitely nice) but the amount of heat it can “store”, and how evenly it is released into the food.
Tl;dr don’t overthink it.
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Comment on Control Resonant | Story/release date reveal trailer – 24th September 2026 in ~games
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentHave you played Alan Wake 2? If you didn’t, consider doing so. In case you didn’t know this, Alan Wake’s & Control’s stories are connected.I haven't found anything else quite like it.
Have you played Alan Wake 2? If you didn’t, consider doing so. In case you didn’t know this, Alan Wake’s & Control’s stories are connected.
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Comment on Who’s buying SpaceX and Anthropic? in ~finance
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentEmphasis mine. It didn’t sound like a red line to me back then, and it doesn’t sound like one today either. Just that they don’t consider the technology ready for this, not that it should never be...Now, even those, I think that, you know, they, you know, our adversaries may at some point have them so perhaps, you know, they may-- they may at some point be needed for the defense of democracy. But we have some concerns about them. First, the AI systems of today are nowhere near reliable enough to make fully autonomous weapons.
Emphasis mine. It didn’t sound like a red line to me back then, and it doesn’t sound like one today either. Just that they don’t consider the technology ready for this, not that it should never be used for these purposes.
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Comment on Who’s buying SpaceX and Anthropic? in ~finance
TumblingTurquoise (edited )Link ParentThe line Anthropic drew was about military (edit: fully autonomous weapons) & intelligence applications against US citizens. They have no qualms for using this tech against the rest of us fools.The line Anthropic drew was about military (edit: fully autonomous weapons) & intelligence applications against US citizens. They have no qualms for using this tech against the rest of us fools.
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Comment on How has inflation changed your quality of life? in ~finance
TumblingTurquoise LinkNot much in a direct way, except for the higher grocery prices. But the overall uncertainty motivated me to save even more money than before. If I was previously saving only 20% of my income, for...Not much in a direct way, except for the higher grocery prices. But the overall uncertainty motivated me to save even more money than before. If I was previously saving only 20% of my income, for the past 2-3 months I have been saving 50%, or even more. I don’t eat out, buy things, my hobbies mostly involve the computer, and luckily I am healthy.
Overall I can’t say that my quality of life has been seriously impacted, but that’s mostly because I try to be satisfied with little. I know that my partner was a bit frustrated with adjusting to a more frugal lifestyle, and would have had a different opinion than I some years ago.
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Comment on What are people's experiences with using Kagi? in ~tech
TumblingTurquoise LinkUsing it for about 2 years now. I love the ability to block/pin websites (and levels inbetween). I don’t think I can ever go back. The only downside is that I still have to tell people “I googled...Using it for about 2 years now. I love the ability to block/pin websites (and levels inbetween). I don’t think I can ever go back. The only downside is that I still have to tell people “I googled this and that” in order for them to understand what I’m saying.
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentIf businesses don’t need labor & end up selling only to each other, then what are you & I going to eat? Are we both going to become teachers or healthcare professionals? What happens if I don’t...If businesses don’t need labor & end up selling only to each other, then what are you & I going to eat? Are we both going to become teachers or healthcare professionals? What happens if I don’t have any desire or inclination towards either of those professions?
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Comment on What are your personal crackpot conspiracy theories about the world right now? in ~talk
TumblingTurquoise LinkThe Blue Origin explosion is an awfully convenient opportunity for SpaceX. SpaceX’s biggest competitor just got put out of action for at least 15 months, while there is high demand for shipping...The Blue Origin explosion is an awfully convenient opportunity for SpaceX.
SpaceX’s biggest competitor just got put out of action for at least 15 months, while there is high demand for shipping cargo to space (several NASA missions were pending the Blue Origin test), and just before the world’s biggest IPO…
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentI can’t tell, we have a couple thousand users, and I don’t have access to granular data. Suppose the developers still all become “10x engineers” (which I am skeptical of) - in that case the...I can’t tell, we have a couple thousand users, and I don’t have access to granular data. Suppose the developers still all become “10x engineers” (which I am skeptical of) - in that case the bottleneck simply shifts somewhere else. Project management, sales, design, testing, market research, HR, and on and on. There’s plenty of support functions.
Fine, all of them become 10x. Then the bottleneck will be the customer, and who’s going to buy all this software? My expendable income did not 10x, and this is how it is for most of everyone. And even if it did, I for one am not terribly excited about paying for such software.
Is it just going to be corporations paying each other then? Then I could argue that’s unsustainable from another point of view.
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentI am not a developer, and based on my experience so far: I’ll agree to disagree.I am not a developer, and based on my experience so far: I’ll agree to disagree.
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Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentBased on my company’s current usage, they’re projected to spend 50x my yearly gross salary on AI (and I’m paid very well) this year. Or 100x more junior employees’ doing the same job. We’ve only...Based on my company’s current usage, they’re projected to spend 50x my yearly gross salary on AI (and I’m paid very well) this year. Or 100x more junior employees’ doing the same job. We’ve only been using it short of three months.
I can’t see how this is sustainable, considering that the prices hikes have only just begun. From where I’m sitting, I don’t see the return on investment. Frankly what I’m seeing instead are hits to morale, more frustrated & anxious colleagues, and lower overall productivity.
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Comment on Asteroid Drift - help me playtest my first serious game! in ~games
TumblingTurquoise Link ParentThanks for taking the time to play it & give feedback. I have to admit that I didn’t think at all about implementing “realistic” drifting. The goalpost I kept in mind was my (fuzzy) memory of the...Thanks for taking the time to play it & give feedback. I have to admit that I didn’t think at all about implementing “realistic” drifting. The goalpost I kept in mind was my (fuzzy) memory of the drifting mechanic in Race Driver GRID, and Need For Speed Pro Street. So I am curious (genuinely) about what made you expect a realistic implementation of drifting?
Instead, maybe have the ship bounce off the asteroids, which breaks the current combo like in Forza Horizon.
This, and your DMC-like scoring system are good suggestions & something I also have in mind. Right now I’m trying to gauge if this is a fun loop for anyone, before sinking even more time into the project.
Though I would add that, the drifting multiplier is higher based on how many asteroids you’re drifting near. Which should make the guns more useful than you described.
Again, thanks for taking the time to help out!
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Comment on Asteroid Drift - help me playtest my first serious game! in ~games
TumblingTurquoise (edited )LinkI've been learning game dev lately, and I decided to make “clones" of old games, as I’ve heard being recommended. I started with a clone of the classic arcade game Asteroids, but while working on...I've been learning game dev lately, and I decided to make “clones" of old games, as I’ve heard being recommended. I started with a clone of the classic arcade game Asteroids, but while working on it I started having more and more ideas that were, frankly, more interesting than the original gameplay. To me at least.
I've been working on this every day for the past three weeks or so, and it's finally in a shape where all of my main ideas are implemented. As I've read online, this is a good time to start gathering feedback - which means playtesting. So, here I am!
This project has grown in scope quite a bit compared to what I initially set out to do, and it is by far the most complex and well designed project (that is, compared to previous games) I have made so far.The concept: Asteroids, but with drifting. The goal is getting a high score, by drifting. Drifting closer to the asteroids results in even more points! You can drift by going fast and turning, or by tapping the break while moving. Keep your drifts going for as long as possible, by controlling your angle & velocity. The prototype is fully playable in the browser on itch.
It would be very helpful if you gave it a try, and shared some of your feedback with me! You can use this anonymous survey on Google Forms to share your thoughts with me. Or just write them here.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: perhaps I should clarify what kind of feedback I’m looking for. Since this is a prototype, there is a lot of stuff that’s missing. Such as a game menu, loss state, sounds, etc. I am mainly interested in: are you having fun with the game loop, as it is? Which means: the ship’s controls, the drifting mechanic, and the scoring system.
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Asteroid Drift - help me playtest my first serious game!
15 votes
At the end of the day, it all depends on the company’s culture. I am also a part of a hierarchy of 8 layers at my work; however, when it comes to my direct responsibilities, my word is usually final.
There’s a very limited set of circumstances when I need to seek my manager’s approval, even more higher up the chain.
Funnily enough, the only time I had to go up multiple layers for an approval was when I wanted an extra computer monitor at my desk.